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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bound — tied together
  3. last — final
  4. bound — certain
  5. bank — of a river
  6. last — to go on
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. staff — employees
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — the fish
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bank — for money
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bass — low music
  17. last — finally
  18. degree — an amount
  19. capital — a city
  20. bank — for money
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com